The haunted mansion
by kanista
Summary: Lory sends Kyoko to his country mansion in the middle of nowhere for house cleaning! But when things start to get spooky kyoko calls Ren to help solve the mystery . A story on how the spirits join forces to bring them together . Spooks, fluff and humor!
1. Chapter 1

" I have a new Love-Me assignment for you Mogami san.", said the president , lounging on his chair. Kyoko waited patiently. She was beginning to look forward to her Love Me assignments. The president's assignments had never been very dull. Looking after Kuu, Cain Heel, being Ren's manager….

"This time I need you to look after my country house.", he informed her.

"Your country house?", asked Kyoko, surprised.

The president nodded. "I plan to go on a short vacation next week with Maria. I haven't been there for two years, so the place will need to be spruced up quite a bit. If you could just pop in for a bit and clean up the place , it would be quite helpful."

Kyoko nodded eagerly. "I will certainly do my best sir!",she said. "When can I start?"

"Good.", said the president with an approving smile. "Today will be best. It's a big house , so I believe you will need a week. Sawara informed me you were free this week, which was why I approached you for this particular task. Sebastian will drive you there. You can stay in one of the guestrooms. "

"Thank you Mr. President.", said Kyoko. "Do I need to buy any house cleaning materials too?"

"I'm afraid yes as there isn't anything there except an old broom . Here is the money. Buy whatever you need-mops, soap, whatever. I'll send Sebastian with you when you go shopping and he can keep the packages ready in the car."

"I'll go shopping right away then!", said Kyoko. "Oh! And can I invite a friend over to help?"

"Of course Mogami san. Feel free to call whoever you wish.", the President replied smiling.

Kyoko left the office and found Sebastian already waiting down for her with the car. Once she had finished her shopping, she left the packages in the car and Sebastian drove her to the Darumya. "I'll come back here at noon miss. I need to pick up your food packages."

Kyoko nodded her thanks and went in to pack. Once she was done, she rang up Kanae.

"MOKOOO!", she squealed. "How would you like to go on a one week vacation to the President's country house?"

"The President's WHAT?",asked Kanae , surprised. Kyoko then explained her latest Love Me assignment.

"It sounds pretty tempting.", Kanae admitted. "But I have to warn you! I am a terrible housekeeper. The last time I tried house cleaning, I could have sworn it looked cleaner before I was done with it! Hey, wait a minute! I've got another call on the line.."

Kyoko waited for a minute or two and Kanae finally came back on the line. " Mo! I'm sorry! I'll be a little busy this week. And the President's got a Love Me assignment for me too. Why don't you ask Chiorin?"

"Yes,I was going to ask her anyway.", Kyoko said feeling a little disappointed. "Bye Kanae! I'll call you later."

Unfortunately Chiorin too was busy with a new drama. Kyoko sighed dejectedly. Somehow she wasn't looking forward to this holiday anymore. She was going to be all alone. _You can always call Tsuruga san!_, her inner voice told her. Kyoko turned bright red at the very thought.

_Err..Tsuruga san…I have this Love Me assignment..and I was wondering…Would you mind coming with me to the President's country house and help me with a bit of house cleaning?_ Kyoko slapped herself mentally for even _thinking_ of handing her sempai a broom! Moreover, She wasn't very comfortable with the idea of living with Him again all alone in a country were already doing that for their Cain and Setsu act and it was giving her sleepless nights. Finally, she decided against telling him about the assignment at all. _Why do I think he should know about it anyway?_ , she thought.

In a few hours, she was zooming away to the countryside. It was one hour drive from Tokyo. Soon they had arrived at the mansion.

Kyoko gasped at the size and beauty of the place. The mansion had a simple architecture, which suited it to perfection in the beautiful green surroundings. The garden was exactly her picture of fairyland. Trees, Flowers of different colours filled it. Except for one thing.

"Isn't that tree dead?", she asked Sebastian who was taking out her things.

Sebastian looked at where she was pointing- a tall tree with lots and lots of branches looking like a tangled mess without any leaves.

"Ah!", he said with a sad smile. "The master told me the story behind that many times.

This was his house when he had just married. Marriage changed the president. Believe it or not, he was a rather strict and serious young man back then. But his wife was a beautiful young woman, full of life. She loved music and had a beautiful singing voice. Every evening, the house would be filled with the sounds of her voice and their laughter. She changed him to what he is now."

Kyoko was listening to the story starry-eyed. "But she had cancer. They discovered it too late. Though she never lost her spirit, her health and beauty gradually detiorated. She spent her last month in bed, often singing. She had planted and tended to that tree with her own hands. It was just like her back then. Green, beautiful and full of life…But when she was dying, the tree seemed to be losing its life too. The leaves began to turn brown and finally fell. The president kept the tree in her memory. He was devastated by her death, but was determined to live his life like how his wife had. She taught him to love life and live each day to the fullest extent."

Kyoko felt pity and admiration for the president. The whole story was like a fairy tale-beautiful, though a little sad. However the tree still looked a little creepy. Like a devil standing in paradise. Out of place. She helped Sebastian carry her things into the house.

"Here is your food.", he handed her a large package. "And here are the keys. I'll be back next week. If you finish earlier, just give the president a call and he'll send me."

"You mean you're not going to be here?",asked Kyoko in dismay.

"I'm afraid not miss. Goodbye!". Sebastian got into the car and drove away . After Kyoko watched the car disappear she finally took a good look at her surroundings. What she saw made her frown. She had been so caught up in the beauty of the surroundings, she hadn't noticed that there wasn't a single house nearby. It looked as though she was the only human being for miles around.

She slowly made her way back to the house. The weather was great. A little cloudy and windy. It would probably rain soon. She poked around the house a bit. The drawing room, kitchen, a bathroom were all downstairs. Upstairs was a master bedroom, a guest bedroom and Maria's room.

Kyoko's room was huuuuge! The furniture too was grand. There was a soft Queen-sized bed with a pretty pink blanket and pillows. Just her idea of a princess bedroom. The room even had an attached bathroom. She had a wonderful view of the garden. A little distance from the window, she could see the creepy looking tree.

Kyoko decided to start her work immediately. The house didn't look or feel so inviting now that she was alone. The sooner she finished her job, the sooner she would be out of here!

She cleaned up her bedroom first and then went to work downstairs on the kitchen and drawing room. By the time she had finished, she was exhausted and hungry. _I think I'll watch a movie while I eat._, she decided. _Sitting all by myself with no one to talk to is pointless_. She looked through the CDs in a rack near the TV set. Most of them were of different languages-spanish,French,English…but not a single Japanese movie! Finally she chose 'Grudge'. The cover didn't look very nice, but the movie seemed to be based in Japan according to the story behind.

_It looks like a horror movie though..,_she thought doubtfully. _Oh well. Can't be picky now_. She put in the CD and began to watch.

She began to regret her choice as the movie progressed. "URRGH!", she said out loud in disgust as she watched a few grotesque murders while eating. However her eyes remained glued to the screen. As the movie began to get a little creepier, she stopped eating altogether, gazing at the screen transfixed in horror. To make matter worse, it began to rain. The sounds of raindrops pelting against the window in a large, silent house in the middle of nowhere was a little unnerving. It didn't help that it was a thunder storm. Kyoko hated the unexpected claps of thunder that made her jump in fright.

By the time the movie was finished, she was thoroughly spooked. Sebastian's story was now beginning to form some rather disturbing ideas in Kyoko's mind. A dead family haunting their house made her think of Lory's dead wife whooshing past her invisible, locking her in a bathroom, drowning her in a bathtub….

"Don't think of that!", she scolded herself. "It was only a movie!"

She took her plates and began to march confidently toward the kitchen , and stopped dead.

The passage leading to the kitchen looked like a long, dark tunnel to her after the movie. "Why did I watch that movie?", she groaned. She took a deep breath and sprinted across the dim passage to the kitchen. She heaved a sigh of relief once she was in the brightly lit kitchen. "Mmmm…I'm glad I left the light on. I could stay here forever!", she said happily.

She began to leisurely wash the dishes. The sounds of the raindrops didn't sound so creepy anymore. Now that she had relaxed, her thoughts wandered to Ren . It had been happening quite often ever since shooting for his new movie as BJ. She had recently thought of a new possibility.

_Maybe someone died because of Tsuruga san? Or he probably just thinks he is responsible…he is no murderer..yet Murasame's remark made him lose it….I wish I could find out if I'm problem is how am I going to help him when I don't know his problem for sure? As Setsu, I can't even ask him! Not that he'll be likely to tell me anyway. Still..His behavior worries me. Setsu can bring Cain back to normal, but that won't be of much help to him later on.._

Kyoko sighed puzzling over the riddle that was Ren Tsuruga. "I'll figure it out one day.", she told herself. "I'm going to make sure he trusts me enough to tell his little sister the reason behin his darkness."

BANG!

Kyoko jumped in fright. She turned around and found the kitchen door had shut itself. She walked over to it cautiously and turned the door handle. To her relief the door opened. Thank goodness! It didn't lock itself too!

"Must have been the wind.", she muttered to herself.

_But you closed all the windows!_

"I must have left one open.", she told herself stubbornly.

_Brilliant! And the wind magically carried itself here into a corner of the house?_

"Calm down!", she told herself sternly. "Don't think about it too much. The wind is strong and shut the door. That's logical."

_Not!_

Kyoko sighed as she realized she had to venture into the passage again. She sprinted across the passage and came back to the drawing room. _I'm safe!_

She took out her pyjamas and 'Corn' and went upstairs to her room. However she made sure the lights of all the rooms were left on.

"There! Now that the house looks inhabited, I don't have to worry about intruders! The President should have arranged for security in this place."

While she changed, Kyoko had a nagging feeling that something was different about the room. She looked around the room carefully. Everything was exactly as she remembered leaving it.

"Just my mind playing tricks because of that stupid movie.", she assured herself before getting into bed and falling asleep with the light on.

BANG! CRACK! TAP!TAP! CRACK!

Kyoko woke up when she heard all the racket. To her surprise and horror the room was dark! She jumped out of bed and groped her way towards the switch. But the light didn't come on! _Damn! A power failure!_

And she would have thought no more about it if she hadn't felt that the door was closed. And the tapping sound still continued.

Kyoko turned and what she saw made her blood freeze. A long shriveled hand was knocking at her window!

She went towards the window trembling and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw what it was.

"It's only a branch of that dead ?"

Now it hit Kyoko exactly what she had found different about the room. The dead tree which had been a few feet away from the house was now just beside her bedroom window!

Kyoko noticed a sudden movement in the garden. She looked down and saw a figure in a white wedding dress walking towards the house. Kyoko stood rooted to the spot. The mysterious figure stopped and looked up slowly. There was a bouquet of dead roses in one hand. The face was hidden behind a veil. It slowly raised its arm. To kyoko's horror, the hand began to stretch and stretch till it reached her window.

Kyoko took one look at the hairy, shriveled hand carrying the dead flowers and screamed her lungs out. She still had 'corn' in her hand. She grabbed her cell phone, flung open the door and ran out of the room.

The entire house was in darkness. She ran down the stairs holding corn tightly. She wasn't staying upstairs a minute longer!

"Thank goodness! The keys are still in the door!", she cried in relief. She was about to open the door when she remembered the white figure that was supposed to be outside. She went to the window and peered out. The figure was gone!

Kyoko jumped when the white clad 'spirit's' face suddenly appeared before her. It was still hidden behind a veil. Kyoko screamed in terror and drew the curtains close. She ran to the sofa and flung herself on it. Now a weird cackling sound began to come from outside. Kyoko shut her ears and stayed put.

Finally she had had enough. She took her phone and dialed the first number that came to her mind.

"Please pick up… Please pick up…", she whispered desperately. She was relieved when she heard the familiar voice on the other side.

"Mogami san?", asked Ren in a surprised voice.

…

_**That's it for now^^. Ren will show up more in the next chapters! I don't plan to make this a long story though. Spooks are done for now…mostly it's gonna be about how ghosts bring them 2 gether! Whether they are real or not I'll decide soon!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for all the reviews and enjoy reading!**_

"Tsuruga san! I'm in the President's YIKES! KYAAAAAAAH!"

Ren jumped at her scream. "Hello! Mogami san!", he said frantically. But all he heard was the sound of a resounding crash and then the phone went dead.

Ren immediately dialed the President's number.

"Hello?"

"Where did you send her?", he asked the President grimly.

"What do you mean?", the President asked innocently.

"I mean where-did –you-send-Mogami san?", Ren asked angrily. "She called me just now sounding absolutely terrified!"

"I have no idea why that should happen Ren. I merely sent her out to my country house on a Love me assignment."

"Where is it?", he asked. The President gave him the directions.

Ren grabbed his car key and sprinted out to the parking.

_It's not the ideal weather for driving but it's not stopping me from getting to her!_ He thought grimly. _What was he thinking anyway?! Sending her alone to that desolate house of doom in the middle of nowhere?!_

…

Kyoko screamed and sent the phone flying across the room when the lights went off and on again and again and the door was attacked by a terrific cackling had stopped.

BANG! BANG! BLADDAM! BANG!

It sounded like someone was trying to break it open with a club.

Kyoko remained curled up in her couch holding 'Corn' tightly in her fist.

"Please save me Corn! Ward off these evil spirits!", she prayed. As if in answer to her prayers, the banging stopped as suddenly as it had started. Kyoko began to sit up slowly and immediately dived back to the couch when a loud, shrill scream of rage followed.

Kyoko beamed when the screaming stopped. _They couldn't get in because of Corn's and Tsuruaga san's magic! Thank you corn!_ She kissed the little stone and fell asleep exhausted by the night's events.

….

Much later Kyoko was woken up by a sobbing sound. "Whuzzairr?", she asked drowsily. The sobbing continued only it got much louder. By now she was thoroughly awake and highly exasperated with the offending sound.

"SHUT UUUP!", she yelled into the darkness. There was an awful silence followed by a loud wailing and cackling.

WAAAAOOOAOAOAOAOOA! AAAAAAHHHHH HA HAH AHAHAH HIHHIHIHIHIHIHI!

It sounded like a red Indian cry and in normal circumstances Kyoko would have gone upstairs with a broom and a knife to investigate the source of the noise. However, these were anything _but_ normal circumstances and Kyoko , already spooked by what had already happened was positively terrified. Because this time the screams were not from outside, but from upstairs!

She got up slowly_. Easy now!_ She told herself. _You don't want to alert them to the fact that you're planning to run for it. They'll lock the door if you do!_

The banshee began to scream again.

"LEAVE THIS HOUSE NOW! OUT! NEVER DARKEN MY DOORSTEPS AGAIN!" A white figure began floating down to her.

Kyoko didn't need telling twice. She turned and fled to the door. Luckily she had left the keys in the keyhole. Once she had unlocked it, she sprinted out into the garden. The rain had gone from bad to worse. It was almost impossible to see through the pelting raindrops. Kyoko didn't care as long as she was out of the house.

She heard another cackling sound behind her and ran in another direction. After running around for a few minutes , she slipped and fell on the stone pathway leading to the door. She was back where she had started.

Kyoko vaguely noticed a dark figure running towards her. "I'm dead!", she croaked before passing out due to fear and exhaustion.

….

The next day, Kyoko found herself back in the house, lying on a sofa. She got up still a little groggy. The back of her head hurt a little. She put a hand to it and found a small bump. What happened? Where am I? she wondered. "OW!". she cried out in pain as her knee knocked against another sofa. Shw swayed on the spot and was about to fall when suddenly a strong pair of arms caught her safely.

"There now..relax..that was a nasty bump on your head.", she heard a soothing voice as she was steered towards the sofa. That voice and familiar scent immediatley brought her to her senses. Kyoko's eyes widened in amazement as she pulled back hurriedly to get a better look. "Tsuruga san?", she exclaimed. She looked around the strange surroundings. "Er..what are we doing here..alone?"

Ren chuckled. "That's what I was going to ask you Mogami san.", he replied gently. "When you called me last night, you sounded so terrified. And then I found you lying unconscious in front of the house, and I thought..I was too late." He hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay!", he said.

Kyoko instinctively put her arms around him. Suddenly she realised two things. She was hugging her sempai. And she was in a haunted house. She quickly wrenched herself away from his arms as memories of the previous night flooded her. "Wha-?", Ren asked, his look of surprise and hurt quickly changing into one of concern when he saw her terrified face.

"Did something happen?", he asked in alarm as she began to tremble violently.

"This place is haunted Tsuruga san!"

Whatever he had been expecting, that wasn't it. "Haunted?", he asked a little surprised. "Er.. you mean to say you saw ghosts?"

She nodded vigorously. "Come on!", she said dragging Ren to the door and out of the house. "We must leave before it gets dark!"

"Wait Mogami san!" he called out in a vain attempt to find out what exactly was going on. But then they saw something that made them stop dead in their tracks. Ren ran to his car and checked. All the tyres had been punctured.

"It's the spirits!", Kyoko wailed in a frightened voice. "They're trying to stop us now because I didn't leave last night! We must walk!"

"Mogami san!", Ren said in a slightly exasperated voice. "The spirits of the dead don't go around puncturing tyres! My tyres were a little worn out anyway. Last night's journey must have finished them!"

"Well then how do you explain what happened last night?",Kyoko retorted and explained her night adventures.

"Mogami san,",he said after having patiently heard her story. "You saw a horror movie didn't you? So naturally you were so spooked, you imagined everything. You have an extremely vivid imagination."

"I-DID-NOT-IMAGINE-ANYTHING!",Kyoko yelled indidgnantly. "I saw them with my own eyes!"

Ren decided to humour her. "All right.", he said conceeding defeat. "Now we'd better go back to the house."

Kyoko stared at him as if he were crazy. "Back to the house?!", she asked incredulously. "But Tsuruga sa-"

"I promised you I'd protect you once didn't I mogami san?", Ren suddenly interrupted in a serious voice. Kyoko stared at him. "Well, yes, but-",she said in a small voice. "And I always keep my promises Mogami san.", he told her took her hand and began leading her back to the house. "Come on. You'll be safe with me. I'll call the president to send us his car okay? But we'll have to wait in the house." Kyoko nodded and allowed Ren to lead her back to the house, a curious fluttering in her stomach that had nothing to do with ghosts.

Ren locked the door behind them. He tried calling the President but got a busy line. He handed the phone to Kyoko. "I'll fix us something for breakfast.", he said."No!", he said as she offered to do that instead."You need a bit of keep trying the president's number, otherwise call Yashiro."

Kyoko took the phone, still a little frightened. "You can come with me.", he added kindly. "I don't want you to strain yourself cooking, that's all."

Kyoko turned red. He must think I'm such a chicken!, she thought mortified. She stood straight and told Ren firmly that she would be quite all right alone. Ren nodded and made for the kitchen. "I won't be long.",he assured her.

Kyoko called the President but with no success. Finally she sent him a text message before calling Yashiro. Yashiro readily agreed to inform the President and inform them when the transport was ready.

When she was done, Kyoko noticed a subtle drop in the room temperature. And it was geting colder. Kyoko shivered as she felt goosebumps rising down her neck. And then, she heard the voice!

The voice was rich and sweet, singing a beautiful song. there was a hypnotic quality about the voice. Kyoko was so entranced by it, she forgot to b afraid. Then just as suddenly as it had begun, the singing abruptly stoppped. The voice began to speak and its tone had changed dramatically. It was a woman's voice. Raspy, menacing and extremely evil.

Kyoko felt a curious tickling sensation in her ears all the time the voice spoke. As though someone were gently blowing into her ears.

_Not very wise to leave him alone dearie... such a handsome man..would be a pity if I took him with me hmmm...?_

Kyoko's eyes widened with horror and then she felt a terrible fury beyond anything she'd known. She ran to the kitchen, heaving a sigh of relief when she saw Ren. Ren turned when he heard her sigh. She looked a little pale, and there was determination burning in her eyes.

"Is everything all right?", he asked.

_No! Nothing is all right! How can they be when spirits threaten to finish you?_ was what she wanted to say. Instead she told him as calmly as possible that she had managed to inform Yashiro. Ren walked over to her frowning. "What's wrong?", he pressed.

Kyoko didn't reply, as she continued to stare at the ground, shuffling her feet.

"Do you consider me as a friend Mogami san?", Ren suddenly asked. The question took her by surprise. "Of course I'd love t-", she started off, finally looking up. She immediately clammed up and looked down again blushing a little.

Ren bit back a triumphant grin. "So you don't think you'd make a good friend for me?", he asked in his best 'poor l'il friendless me' voice. "Or you think I wouldn't want to be your friend." She gave a small nod.

"Well!", he continued cheerfully. "I'll put an end to that dilemma! I hereby declare, you , Kyoko Mogami, one of the best friends I ever had!

"Now let's make an oath of togetherness. We'll be friends forever and ever and no matter what happens, we'll always be by each other's side. We'll share our joys and sorrows just like..like friends and vow to protect..er no that's it.", he finished his enthusiastic speech a little lamely.

_You nearly gave yourself away you idiot!_ He scolded himself. He started to let go off Kyoko's hand, but she immediately gripped it again. "Don't stop.", she urged.

"What?", he asked in confusion.

"We will always protect each other from any threats, or anything that will act as a shadow on our friendship.", she said firmly. She squeezed his hand gently before letting go.

Ren wondered why she had suddenly insisted on the last 'promise'_. Is she worried about me?_

"What did you make?", she suddenly asked walking in to take a look. "Coffee and toast.", he said a little apologetically. "It's the best I can make."

As they ate, Kyoko announced that they clean up the rest of the house. "After all, it is a Love Me assignment. We can clean up the rooms upstairs while we wait for the President to send us his car.", she said.

Later, they trudged upstairs, determined to finish everything before leaving.

"We needn't bother with my room Tsuruga san!", she said cheerfully. "I've already cleaned it up!"

He walked into the room, looking around appraisingly. "You did a good job.", he admitted. He suddenly caught sight of the 'moving tree'. "You say that tree magically appeared next to your window last night?", he asked a little skeptically.

Kyoko frowned at his tone. "That was what I saw!", she said a little defensively. "And I certainly did _not_ imagine the woman in white walking towards me!"

"Right, now let's go to the other rooms.", Ren said hastily. The two finished most of the rooms quite quickly. Finally, they were left with Maria's room.

" Well, this might take us some time.", said Kyoko. The room was quite large, and one of the dustiest in the house. There was dust on the floor, the rocking chair and plenty on the soft toys. It was nearly two hours before the room was finally dust free. They talked as they rearranged the toys.

"Have you ever been here before ?", Kyoko asked curiously. Ren shook his head. "I've heard about it plenty of times.", he admitted. "My father had come here a couple of times." A look of pain flashed across his face.

"I'm sorry", Kyoko said gently. Ren looked at her surprised. "What for?", he asked, a little puzzled. Now Kyoko looked surprised. "Well, the way you looked just now when you were talking about your father, I thought he was dead.", she explained.

Ren sighed. "He isn't dead Mogami san! He's very much alive and is an actor like me."

"You didn't get along?", she guessed. Kyoko had never heard Ren talk about his parents before. And she had never seen him look as unhappy as he did now. "If it hurts so much to talk about your past let it be for now.", she said gently.

Just then Ren felt a cold breeze blow around him and die down. And then, a feeling of immense euphoria filled him. Ren felt as though nothing could ever go wrong! He was absolutely bubbling with confidence and happiness.

"Mogami san!", he suddenly said. "There's something I want you to know. I must tell you or I'll go mad!" Kyoko gave him an encouraging nod. "My real name is Hizuri Kuon. My parent s are Kuu and Julie Hizuri." She gave him a blank look, but Ren continued. " As I grew older, I drifted apart from them. My own acting career was going nowhere. I became frustrated, and unstable. I started getting into fights. And the outcome of one such fight-was my best friend's death."

He was talking monotonously,like a robot repeating in reality, he was terrified. Ren felt as though someone was talking through him. And the shocked look on Kyoko's face made him curse this mysterious force. Because now she would never think of being with him- a cruel, cold-blooded murderer.

"Tsuruga san?", she interrupted his thoughts. "Could it be that you blame yourself for this friend's death?" .

"I don't have to. I _am_ responsible for it.", he replied calmy. "I was chasing another guy and Rick, my friend was trying to stop me. But then-", his face darkened, " a car ran over him. Over Rick! I should have been the one to die! He didn't deseve to die like that! He deserved to live till he was hundred. So you see, Murasame has been right about me. The real Ren Tsuruga san is a murderer."

"Tsuruga san, did you push your friend in the car's way?", asked Kyoko. He shook his head . "Did you pay the driver to run over him?" "Of course not!", he snapped. "Were you driving the car?" "No!"

"In that case, my common sense tells me that you are no murderer.", she said simply. He stared at her in surprise. "You don't hate me after what I just told you?", he asked.

"You are my friend aren't you Tsuruga san?", she said with a sad smile. "I think you have been blaming yourself wrongly for your friend's death. I don't care what you think of yourself. In my opinion, you are a good person, who deserves to be happy. Stop denying yourself the right to be happy. That's stupid!"

Ren once again felt that euphoria. It frightened him. He had just gone back to normal after telling Kyoko about his past. Now this unearthly force had again regained control of his body.

"Is that how you really feel Mogami san?", he asked. "If I say I have a girl I love, what would you say to that?"

There was a short pause. "I would advise you to confess your feelings to her.", Kyoko said casually. "You will always cherish her, I know."

"She won't run away once she knows the truth about me will she?", Ren asked anxiously.

"If she does, she will have lost the love of a lifetime.", Kyoko replied dully.

"She'll always be by my side?"

"Forever."

"Like you?"

"Closer than me I suppose."

In three strides, Ren had closed the distance between them and taken her in his arms. "Do you have any idea how happy you make me Mogami san?", he asked her seriously.

"Not as happy as your girl I suppose."

Ren released her for a moment to look into her eyes. "Why, you're jealous! I am so glad she can make you feel like that!"

"Why?', Kyoko asked, her voice now rather icy. "And what makes you think I'm jealous? I'm just a little possessive of my friends, that's all!"

Ren hugged her again. "I love that you can feel possessive about me Mogami san. Because this time I get the feeling that my feelings are not one sided anymore!"

Kyoko pulled herself away and stared at him frowning. "You feeling okay Tsuruga san? You seem a bit..different."

Ren beamed at her. "I am the happiest man alive Mogami san! I am going to tell you something I've never told anyone before!"

"Er…is that so?", Kyoko asked, still eying him warily. "Er..maybe…if you'd just move a bit farther.."

Ren ignored her. "I love you!", he declared. She stared at him. "If that's a joke, its not funny!", she said ."It is _not_ a joke!", Ren continued passionately. " I have been in love with you since last year. Kyoko, please, don't do this to me. If you like, say 'no', but please! Don't hate me, don't run away, don't break our friendship, and pleeease! Don't look at me like that!" He looked desperate and on the verge of a breakdown.

"Ren.", Kyoko said softly. "I love you too." Ren was amazed. _It was so easy!,_ he wondered.

"You-love-me?", he repeated wonderingly. "Since when?" Kyoko shrugged. "Hard to say exactly when. "But I began to realize my feelings when you had that accident in Dark Moon." And I decided to stop running away from my feelings when that hideous voice threatened you_. I realized I could never let anyone harm you in any way., she thought to herself._

She smiled at him warmly. "So let me say it again- I love you."

If Ren had been feeling euphoric earlier, it was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. And once again, he felt that invincible power controlling his words. "What must I do to show you my love?", he asked her, with a slight hint of the emperor .

"Anything!", Kyoo replied without thinking. Her eyes widened in horror as Ren's face loomed nearer and nearer, giving her a full blast of the emperor. She immediately realized that he was going to kiss her. But no matter how much she loved him, she wasn't ready to kiss him just yet! She was new to this for heaven's sake! It was too embarrassing!

Meanwhile, Ren was screaming to the supernatural forces to stop. Stop! You'll scare her away! Can't you see, she's not ready for that just yet?!

It took all of Ren's strength to regain control of his body. Instead of kissing her, he gave her another hug. Kyoko sighed with relief and hugged him back. "Thank you .", she whispered. "You scared me!"

Ren laughed softly. "Whenever you're ready Kyoko.", he said. "I don't want to force you to do anything. If you weren't comfortable with calling me Ren, I would have let you call me 'Tsuruga san'." Suddenly, Ren felt that euphoric feeling vanish. He was himself again. He sighed with relief. _What was that?_ He wondered_. For a moment I thought I was being possessed.!_

As he held Kyoko, Ren could have sworn, he had heard a voice whisper in his ears-_Spoilsport!_

…

Ren and Kyoko went downstairs when they had finished cleaning. Ren was the first to notice something wrong in the drawing room.

"Is it just me, or is something different?", he asked Kyoko. Kyoko looked around and then it hit her. "The curtains!", she exclaimed. "Someone has drawn the curtains!"

Sure enough, the curtains had been drawn open. But what was more frightening was that there was a thick mist outside.

"Mist?", asked Ren, puzzled. "At this time of the year , and in a place like this?"

"Ren!", Kyoko said suddenly. "The keys!" Ren looked towards the door where she was pointing. The keys which had been left at the keyhole, had disappeared!

They ran to the door and tried to open it. But it was locked. Kyoko began to try and open the windows instead, but they wouldn't budge. They were prisoners!

"We could break the window..", Kyoko said a little doubtfully. Ren shook his head. "I've heard that they're bullet proof.", he said. "There's no way out. I hope the President's car finds us."

Ren called the President. To his relief, the President answered. But apparently the car had been sent hours ago.

"Well?", Kyoko demanded. Her face turned white when he told her. "So we m..must spend the night in th..this place?!", she asked frightened. It had been bad enough in the day

. Ren nodded. "Don't worry Kyoko. There are no ghosts in this place! I'll take good care of you.", he told her, though not entirely convinced himself.

That night, Kyoko refused to stay downstairs. She firmly believed that whatever had locked them inside was still downstairs, waiting 'to strike' as she called it.

So together, the two of them went upstairs to the guest bedroom. "It's a good thing you're still in pajamas.", said Ren.

Kyoko looked at her clothes and laughed when she realized that she had spent the entire day in her pajamas. Then she noticed something else.."

"Ren!", she said in a panicky voice. "These aren't the pajamas I wore yesterday! I told you there's something strange about this hou-"

"Calm down.", he said dryly. "_I_ changed you out of those wet pajamas yesterday. No ghosts involved. And your blue stone is in the pocket."

Kyoko's momentary look of outrage and embarrassment immediately turned into one of delight when she found 'Corn'. "We'll be perfectly safe now Ren!", she said confidently. "I hope so.", Ren said absent mindedly . "Good night!" He hugged her comfortingly. To his surprise, Kyoko kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight!", she said brightly, smiling up at him. She jumped into the bed and moved a good way to the edge to make room for Ren. He watched her in amusement. "You'll fall over if you're not careful!", he said as he got into the bed. "Come on,move off the edge a bit. I won't bite you!"

Kyoko moved a whole one centimeter from the edge, her back to him the whole time. Ren narrowed his eyes. He sat up, grabbed Kyoko and dragged her to the middle of the bed. Kyoko gave a squeal of surprise when she felt Ren grab her.

"You are not spending the night in discomfort on my account!". He told her threateningly. "And to make sure, I'm not letting go off you until you fall faaaast asleep!"

Kyoko turned over to face him and glared at him. "You bully! You said you weren't going to force me to do anything!"

"Sure, sure..now go to sleep honey.", Ren said sleepily, pulling her in closer and holding her so tight, she couldn't move even a finger.

Kyoko sighed, feeling both exasperated and amused_. Who am I to stop him?_ She told herself not entirely disliking the situation. Within minutes, they fell asleep.

Much later, Kyoko woke up . She sat up quickly. It was a sound that had woken her up. She looked towards the window, and sure enough, it was the spook tree knocking its branches against her window. Kyoko began to tremble. She suddenly missed being coiled up safely in Ren's arms. She looked down and her heart stopped. Ren wasn't there!

_Keep cool now!_ She told herself nervously. He can't be far off. She listened hard and heard his voice. Kyoko got up and went out of the room. He was in the playroom, talking to someone on the phone. Kyoko shivered as she made her way to the room. Though they had left the lights on, they were switched off again.

When she entered the playroom, she found Ren sitting on the rocking chair, conversing on his mobile in the dark.

"Ren?", Kyoko started nervously. Everything looked so eerie in the dark.

Ren stopped talking abruptly. He got up slowly and turned to the window. "Well?", he asked irritably. "What is it now?"

Kyoko blinked. "Er..nothing..I was just looking for –", Kyoko stopped talking and stared at him transfixed in horror. Ren's face turned a complete three sixty degrees and faced her. Then, his face began to change. His skin started to turn into a hideous , mottled green hue. It looked as though he was speedily decaying. Even his features changed. His eyes turned orange and he began to hiss like a snake. Kyoko stared in horror at the forked tongue.

Then the rest of his body turned. Ren,no- the monster raised one of its arms. Kyoko felt a vice-like grip on her neck and found herself being lifted up. Then she was rotated round and round till she was dizzy. The monster then made a flinging motion and Kyoko found herself being thrown away….

….

_**A/N: Sorry for the late update everyone! Actually I had a different chapter written out..all cotton candy stuff..but I read it and thought that's not too realistic! Not in a situation like that. So after many rewrites, this was what I came up with. Sorry if you're a little disappointed with the strictly sugar-free romance! Spooks again next time, because its night time!**_

_**Any way—please review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

Ren was sleeping peacefully. Suddenly, he woke up. He sat up frowning. He was sure he had heard a sound. He then caught sight of the tree. "So that's her moving tree!",he said to himself surprised. "Hey Kyo-"

Ren found himself staring down at an empty bed. "Kyoko?", he quickly got out of the bed in alarm. To his surprise, the door was closed. He opened it and went out to search for Kyoko. Almost as soon as he was out of the room, he fell over something soft. It was a teddy bear, which they had put on the rocking chair in the playroom.

"Ren?"

He looked up quickly. Kyoko's voice was coming from the playroom_. Who is she talking to?,_ he wondered_. I was in bed all The time!_

He got to his feet and made his way to the playroom. He heard a soft click and found the door had been shut. Ren began to try and force the door open , but it wouldn't budge. He heard a gasp, followed by wheezes and pants.

"KYOKO!", he yelled, banging the door desperately. Within a few seconds, the door gave way . He flung it open and stopped dead.

Kyoko was floating in midair. Behind her was a hideous looking monster holding up its arm. It slowly moved its hand pointing towards him, and with a flick of the hand, Kyoko was thrown backwards, straight into his arms. Then the monster gave a loud cackle and the door shut with a bang.

Ren was bowled over as Kyoko crashed straight into him like a rag doll. For a moment, he was tempted to open the door and see whether the creature was still inside the playroom. But Kyoko groaned, holding her head and he turned his attention to her.

"Kyoko!", he gently pressed her forehead. "Open your eyes! I've got you now."

Kyoko's eyes fluttered open and she stared up at him in horror. "Ren!", she exclaimed sitting up. "That wasn't you in the playroom?"

Ren shook his head, nonplussed. "Of course not! Why should that have been me?", he asked.

"Where were you anyway?", Kyoko asked, ignoring his question. "I went looking for you and fond that monster masquerading as you!"

Ren stared at her in confusion. "I..I don't understand what you mean Kyoko!", he stuttered. "I was in bed beside you all the time! Okay, I rolled over to the edge in my sleep, but I don't quite see how you could _not_ have seen me!"

Kyoko listened to this, her heart cold. She believed him. She had to after what she had seen last night.

RRROOOWWRRR!

Kyoko yelped in fear, clutching Ren's hand. That inhuman cry had come from the playroom.

"Let's go!", she said nervously pulling his hand. "I don't want to wait for that door to open!" Ren was in no hurry to find out what would happen when the door reopened. He quickly scooped Kyoko up in his arms and hurried downstairs before setting her down on her feet.

They ran for the door, but found it was still locked. They took chairs and tried to break open the door and windows. But after a long time, they had to give up. It was hopeless. They were like trapped mice. There was no way out.

Kyoko gave a scream of rage. They had exhausted themselves trying to get out, but these damned spirits seemed hell bent on finishing them off!

"We'll never get out of this alive!", she said, kicking the sofa in frustration. "Careful now!", Ren said warningly as she winced in pain. "If we're going to get out of here, we can't risk having injuries!"

"But _how_ do we get out?",she cried hysterically. "The President's car is missing! He knows we're here, but the spirits won't let him help! We're locked inside Ren! And the only way out is death!"

She broke down completely, and fell to the floor sobbing. "Why us?", she sobbed. "And why now?! I was so happy Ren! I had finally fallen in love! I..I thought the P.. 's car would co…come to our rescue…and we'd live happily ever after! J..just like..in fairy tales! And now I find that my love stories are always doomed to have unhappy endings! A..an wha-hmm"

Kyoko's eyes widened as Ren's lips captured hers for the first time. At first, it felt weird. Then it was mesmerizing. Once she had got over her initial surprise, bit by bit she relaxed and succumbed to his kiss. She put her arms around Ren and kissed him back with all the love and passion she felt for him. Ren finally pulled away from the kiss reluctantly.

"Kyoko.", he said gently. "We _are_ going to get out of here. And alive. But if we don't..", he said with a wry smile. "I don't want to die with the regret that I never kissed you."

Kyoko gave a small laugh. "Idiot!", she said shaking her head. "This isn't the time for romancing! Right now we must think of a plan!"

Suddenly the lights came back on. Ren and Kyoko jumped, blinking due to the sudden brightness. To their surprise, Kanae Kotonami began to walk slowly down the stairs.

" If I heard right, the two of you must have already kissed right?", she asked with a sly grin. Ren and Kyoko still looked dumbfounded.

Kyoko was the first to speak. "Moko?", she asked unable to believe her eyes. It was probably the first time she forgot to greet Kanae with her usual enthusiasm. "I thought you were on a Love Me assignment!"

Kanae grinned. "I didn't lie!", she replied. "Chiorin and me, we were in this together. Our assignment-scare you out of your wits, have you call Ren Tsuruga to your rescue and hope that you two get together! Wait..I'll get Chiorin. She's hiding in the store room. Wonder why she hasn't come out yet."

Kanae went in the direction of the kitchen and came back a few minutes later, followed by a very sleepy looking Chiorin . "You were supposed to be awake you dope!", Kanae was scolding her. "You were in charge of the downstairs spooks!"

"Tisn't my fault!", she grumbled. "I was awake all night yesterday and today!" She immediately curled up on a sofa and closed her eyes with a contented sigh. "You tell them.", she mumbled. Kanae shook her head in exasperation and sat down to tell the whole story.

"It started when you called me that day and the President interrupted us.", she started.

….

_2 days ago_

Lory Takarada was watching a horror movie. It turned out to be a dud. Falling furnitures, rocking chairs that rocked on their own, grotesque killings..and on top of that, the leading couple managed to squeeze in some romance time in the midst of all the horror!

"Would that happen in real life?", he wondered seriously. "Just put a couple in a horror room and sparks fly? If it was that easy Mogami san-"

He sat up excitedly. "That's it!", he exclaimed, pounding a fist on his palm. "Sebastian!" He quickly gave him some instructions. An hour later, Sebastian informed him that the tree had been arranged for. He had also arranged for some workmen to assemble the tree in his country house garden.

"Good!", the president said gleefully. The next day, he informed Kyoko that she was to go there on a Love Me assignment. After that, he called Kanae and Ms Amamiya to his office.

" The reason I asked you to refuse Kyoko's invitation,", he explained, " was because I want the two of you to go there and scare the living daylights out of her."

Kanae and Chiorin exchanged surprised looks. "Why?", Kanae asked curiously. "Is it supposed to build up her confidence or something?"

The president shook his head. "Listen to me carefully. I want you to do whatever you can to make her believe that the house is haunted. You can buy whatever you like-sheets, balloons..I leave it up to you. Just be a little imaginative. The only thing I can offer you is an old horror show prop I have in a storeroom. Sebastian will show you how to operate it. Its got extendible arms and wheels.."

"But then what?", asked Chiorin. She'll only run away!"

"No. In Kyoko's eyes the car will have left for the city, only to pick her up when she's finished. In reality, it will be hidden a little further away. Sebastian and the car will entirely be at your disposal. Now, Kyoko must not choose to brave the dangers alone. I've left a load of horror movies for her to see, but there's no guarantee that she will. So make sure you rattle her real good!"

The two Love Me girls nodded.

"She will call Ren for help!", the President continued enthusiastically. Here, Kanae interrupted.

"Excuse me sir. But how can you be so sure she'll call him only? What if she calls you, or me, or Chiorin?"

"I don't think she will.", the president said dismissively. "I believe, she genuinely cares for Ren now and he will be the first person she'll think of calling. But if she calls any of you, just ignore it okay?"

Kanae nodded a little doubtfully. It was a rather strange way of match making.

"Oh! And do everything you can to keep them in the house. Here's the window lock remote. At the click of a button, all the closed windows in the house will be locked! And now, you have enough time to get what you need. Sebastian will drive you there before dropping Mogami san."

"But what if she tries to break open the windows?", Kanae asked.

"I spent a fortune on that house Kotonami san! The windows are bullet proof. So I assure you, that even if Mogami san manages to hit them with a table, there won't even be a scratch on the glass!"

As they were leaving however, the president stopped them with another reminder. "Don't forget to move the tree!", he said.

"The tree?", Kanae asked in surprise. The president nodded. "Its only a plastic tree, so it has been nailed to the ground. But as soon as it becomes dark, I want you to religiously move the tree next to the window with the red curtains. That is Mogami san's bedroom."

Kanae sighed once they were out. "This is the weirdest assignment he's given so far.", she said fervently. "Oh I don't know!",Chiorin said cheerily, "It sounds fun!"

"Oh sure it is.", Kanae grumbled. "A lot of fun."

But by the time they were finished shopping and on their way to the mansion, Kanae's mind had already devised a variety of spooks. She was beginning to look forward to this.

When they reached the mansion, Kanae quickly explained Chiorin about everything that she was to do. Chiorin was to manage the spooks inside the house. Kanae would work from outside. "It looks like its going to rain.", Chiorin said looking up at the sky. "Perfect spooky weather!"

Kanae handed her a few props and Sebastian unlocked the door to let Chiorin inside the house. Once he had unlocked the door, Kanae took him aside. "When Kyoko comes here, she'll want to know why that monstrosity,", she pointed at the plastic tree, " is here. So, this is what I want you to tell her.."

Sebastian listened attentively . "Very good miss.", he said robotically. "But why?"

"To make sure she doesn't come snooping near the tree of course!", said Kanae impatiently. "This is exactly the kind of story she'll swallow. You can be sure, she won't come within ten feet of this tree!" Sebastian bowed respectfully before driving away.

Kanae looked at her main prop. It was a woman in a white gown, carrying a bouquet in one hand. A veil covered the face. It was a pretty weak looking thing. "Oh well.". she told herself shrugging. "Might as well get some practice!"

She crouched down, lifted the gown and crept inside. It was extremely uncomfortable. The dummy was placed on a single stand with wheels. There was a small button which would make the hand wave eerily. There was a small wheel attached to the stand. All one had to do was turn the wheel round and round like a fishing rod and the other arm would stretch longer and longer.

Kanae practiced pushing the dummy around the lawn. It was pretty uncomfortable, pushing around the dummy, in a bent position under the gown. Kanae huffed and puffed as she pushed the dummy and began trying out the arm controls when she stopped.

Chiorin watched her for some time and then went around exploring the house. Somehow, it didn't fit in with her image of a haunted house. Chiorin doubted it would ever look like one even if it was painted black and filled up with chests of skeletons.

The moment she had stepped into the house, she had felt a leap of joy. She loved places like these. She danced around joyfully checking out the rooms and looking out for prospective spook props. She was so happy, it frightened her. There was no proper _reason_ for her to be so happy_. Is this what people call being fey?,_ she wondered_. Is this a premonition that something terrible is going to happen?_

She shook her head irritably. This wasn't the time to be thinking morbid thoughts. She needed to concentrate on scares! The very idea was now starting to give her the giggles. She went upstairs and hid her 'props' which weren't many to begin with. Just a few sheets and some balloons. She wondered when would she get to blow them. Kanae was counting on her to be heard and not seen. Throwing furniture around, screaming, the usual crap. Visual ghosts were to be a last resort.

Much later, she hid herself inside a cupboard when she heard the car enter the driveway. Kanae had already safely hidden herself and the dummy. Sebastian would turn around and join her later after leaving Kyoko in the house.

Chiorin got out of the cupboard when it looked like Kyoko wouldn't be coming upstairs in a hurry. She tip-toed to the door and peeked outside. Yes, she had already got down to work. But..she was bringing the cleaning materials upstairs. She scurried back to the cupboard when Kyoko began to make her way upstairs.

She kept the door a crack open and waited. Around fifteen minutes later, she heard Kyoko go back downstairs. She crept out to spy on her. She was working on the rooms downstairs. After what felt like hours,, Kyoko was finished and ready to eat. Once she had got her dinner ready, Kyoko sat down to watch a movie. Chiorin's stomach rumbled when she saw the tray of food, but she kept her ears open to find out what movie Kyoko had chosen. She was hoping for a super scary one . Kyoko chose 'The Grudge'. Perfect!

Chiorin beamed. Once Kyoko was done with that movie, scaring her would be child's play. A little later It had already started raining. Even better! She hoped Kyoko would be a sport and would watch the movie till the end. She did.

It took all of Chiorin's strength not to laugh out loud when she saw Kyoko sprint down the passage to the kitchen. She waited a few seconds and then hurried down the stairs. She made her way quietly towards the kitchen and peered in cautiously. Kyoko's back was towards her and she was busy washing the dishes.

Keeping her eyes riveted on Kyoko all the time, Chiorin noiselessly stretched out a hand to the door and slammed it shut with a terrific bang. Then she ran up the passage and up the stairs to the playroom, snorting with laughter.

Once she was in the playroom, she went to the window and grinned. The tree had been moved away safely. Then she heard Kyoko coming up again, and quickly retreated to the cupboard.

Meanwhile, it had taken both Kanae and Sebastian to 'pluck out' the tree and place it near the window. Sebastian kept the tree put by nailing it down again and stood there holding an umbrella. Kanae was to stand right in the middle of the garden, so that Kyoko would get a full view of the ghost lady.

After an hour or so,Kanae called up Chiorin. Chiorin had got out of the cupboard and was waiting in the playroom. She picked up her phone when she felt it vibrate. "Hello!"

"Chiorin, I'm ready with the dummy! What's with all the lights?"

Chiorin laughed. "She's so spooked, she's switched on all the lights in the house! She's sleeping like a baby now!"

"Well, switch them off, and close her door!"

Chiorin went to switch off the main switch, which she had found during her exploring, after closing Kyoko's door. When the lights went off, Kanae gave Sebastian the signal. He began to shake the tree so hard that one of the branches knocked against Kyoko's window, waking her.

Kanae was peering at Kyoko's window from beneath the dummy's gown. When Kyoko appeared at the window, Kanae began to push the dummy forwards.

Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as it had been in the morning. The rain was creating a problem. The lawn was muddy, making it difficult for her feet to get a firm grip on the ground. Kanae had to be careful that her feet didn't suddenly stick out of the gown. When she was near enough, she breathed a sigh of relief and began to work the arm mechanisms. She peered out again and saw to her great satisfaction that Kyoko was no longer at the window.

Kanae began to push the dummy with full force forward towards the door_. If she thinks of escaping, this should discourage her!,_ Kanae thought gleefully. Suddenly, she tripped against a stone.

SPLAT!

Kanae fall into a puddly-muddy mess and the dummy was thrown forward.

"Shit!", she cursed the rain and ran to set the dummy upright. "Oh no!", she cried in dismay. The white dress was covered in mud. The wheel stand was broken and one of the arms had come off completely.

Kanae quickly dragged the dummy to the nearest hiding spot-under a bush next to the house. It was near one of the windows, so she had to hide it very carefully. Kanae looked up from her work and her eyes widened. Two windows away, Kyoko was staring out towards the garden. In any minute, she would look this way and the game was up!

Kanae tore away the white veil from the dummy and put it over her face. Then she suddenly popped her face in front of Kyoko and watched her scurry back, with a sigh of relief.

Kanae looked at the bush. The dummy was fairly well hidden. But she would come back for it later. She looked around desperately for something..anything…to carry on with. Then she had an idea. She ran to the dummy and extracted the broken arm. She went to the door and began to hit it with all the strength she could muster. She began to scream and cackle and made a huge racket that would have got her arrested in the city for noise pollution. She noticed Chiorin was also busy. She was now having great fun with the lights. On,off,on,off, it went on.. Then with a final scream, she left the door and beckoned Sebastian to take her to the car.

By the time he lent her his umbrella, anae was soaking wet and a mess. She was covered in mud, but the rain washed most of it off. Her Love me outfit was ruined, but she wasn't exactly mourning about it. Kanae dried herself in the car and waited for Ren to show up. _Let's hope she's called him.,_ she thought.

She called Chiorin who said yes, Kyoko had called Ren and promptly fallen asleep.

"Asleep?", Kanae asked herself incredulously after hanging up. "After all the efforts we put in?" She was so indignant, that she forgot they were on a match making mission. She began to try and think up more scares for Kyoko.

Much later, Sebastian spoke for the first time. " Tsuruga san should be here by now."

"Yes.", Kanae said absent mindedly. " And Kyoko will have a hard time convi-", Kanae suddenly realized that Ren would not believe one word of Kyoko's adventures. If anything, he would be sure to smell a rat and insist on searching the whole house.

She whipped out her phone and called Chiorin.

"What?", Chiorin asked in a sleepy voice.

"Chiorin! Get out of the house!", Kanae said urgently.

"What for?", Chiorin grumbled. "Its raining out there and I'm nice and cozy in here! I'm not budging!"

"Chiorin!", Kanae said angrily. "When Tsuruga san hears Kyoko's story, he'll be sure to search the whole house! He's not the type to swallow rotten ghost stories. GET-OUT-OF-THERE-NOW!"

"And how do you suggest I do that?", Chiorin asked sarcastically. "I can't risk the door! Kyoko might wake up if I go down!"

"I don't care what you do! Just do it! Come to our car!"

"But, I don't know where's the car! How am I supposed to find it?", Chiorin tried one last excuse not to get out of the comfortable house.

"Come to the main gate! We'll turn on the headlights. You'll be able to see it! Now get a move on! Hurry! He should be here any minute now!"

Chiorin hung up with a sigh. "Can't stand to see me comfortable!", she grumbled. "What am I supposed to do now?"

She thought for a minute and had an idea. It was a very stupid one, but it was the only plan that came to her head.

Chiorin began to make sobbing sounds, that grew louder and louder till Kyoko finally woke up. When she did however, Kyoko only yelled at her back to shut up. Chiorin was stunned for a minute and then decided to try the last resort.

She took out one of the balloons in her pocket and began to blow it to a decent size, before covering it with a small sheet. Then she began to scream and create a racket. That spooked Kyoko again. She got up and began to back away towards the door slowly.

Faster!, chiorin thought desperately. She began to yell at Kyoko to go away and and released the balloon. That was the last straw. Kyoko turned on her heels and ran for her life, leaving the door open.

Chiorin flew down the stairs picking up the balloon which had drifted to the ground under the weight of the cloth and ran out of the door laughing . She couldn't help it any more.

She ran in the opposite direction as Kyoko and decided to wait by the house until Kyoko met up with Ren. A few minutes later, her patience was rewarded. To her surprise, Kyoko had been lying in front of the house all along. Ren Tsuruga came running from nowhere, picked her up and walked inside the house. Chiorin managed to find her way to the main gate with great difficulty. She could vaguely make out the headlights some distance away and began to walk towards the car.

"Why park here?", she said irritably, getting into the car.

"Well, if we were to use headlight signals, we had to park the cars so that Tsuruga san couldn't find us right?", Kanae replied throwing her a towel.

"What's next?", Chiorin asked drying herself as best as she could.

"Nothing. We spend the night here and break into the house tomorrow morning. We'll lock them inside and get back to work in the night."

"Why night?", Chiorin wanted to know.

"Because," Kanae said stretching across the seat, and using Chiorin's lap as a pillow, "ghosts need their rest. Even human ones. Now go back to sleep."

"How can I after all that I had to go through.", Chiorin muttered. She tried to sleep, but failed miserably as she was in an uncomfortable sitting position.

She gout out of the car first thing in the morning, when it was only drizzling. She woke up Kanae.

"Come on! We need to get back into the house!", Chiorin said. Kanae woke up reluctantly and together the two of them went to the house.

"Aha!", Kanae said looking at Ren's car. "We must make sure they stay here. Lucky I brought this." She took out a pocket Knife and punctured each of the tyres. "Done!", she said with an air of satisfaction. "Now Chiorin, I left the dummy in the bushes last night. "You wait here a bit. I'll go and dump it somewhere further away.

She came back a few minutes later . They went and hid behind some bushes. A little later, Kyoko and Ren came rushing out of the house.

"Now!", Kanae whispered and the two of them ran into the house. They made for the store room and waited. "When they get back, we'll lock the door. I have a pair of duplicate keys." Chiorin nodded doubtfully. "What if they use their own keys?", she whispered. "Where will they go? The car's out of order!", Kanae replied.

They waited patiently till they heard Ren enter the kitchen. Minutes later Kyoko came running to him. She seemed upset about something. Then Ren made some cheesy friendship declaration which put the President's entire match-making plan to the dogs.

When The two went upstairs, Kanae seized the opportunity to run to the drawing room. To her delight, they had left the keys in the keyhole. Kanae locked the door and pocketed the keys. Then she quickly drew open the curtains and locked the windows with the President's special remote.

After admiring her handiwork, she ran back to the store room. She then subjected poor Chiorin to a very boring lecture on what she was to do to scare them. Chiorin was beginning to feel sleepy and Kanae wasn't letting her sleep. Finally she made up some excuse like wanting to check up on the couple upstairs and made her escape.

Chiorin slowly crept upstairs. She could hear voices from the playroom. She stood near the door way and listened. It was normal conversation. Then suddenly, Tsuruga san's past or something came up in the conversation. At that moment, Chiorin felt a sudden cold wind blow past her. She shivered and looked around in surprise. _Now where did that come from?_ She wondered.

Suddenly Ren began to speak. Chiorin frowned. His voice sounded different. It was..too mechanical. Like someone had made him memorize lines and he was being forced to recite them. He told a long winded story and then confessed to Kyoko in the most unromantic way possible. While he was hugging Kyoko. Chiorin nearly gasped out in surprise. Quickly clamping a hand to her mouth, she turned around in fright. She had felt that sudden cold wind blow away her long hair. And Chiorin could have sworn she had heard a laugh.

She got up and hurried downstairs to the store room. Kanae was sitting on a bucket and looked up when she entered.

"He confessed.", Chiorin informed her and told her quickly what she had witnessed. Kanae looked encouraged. "It's a good start.", she said with a grin. "No matter how lousy his confession was. As for the wind you felt, the windows upstairs must be open right?

Chiorin opened her mouth to argue but decided against it. Kanae had a skeptical mind and would refuse to accept anything out of the ordinary unless there was proof. _Better not tell her about the mist outside. She won't find it abnormal.,_ she thought.

Soon it was night time and Chiorin was again beginning to feel drowsy. She was relieved when Kanae finally got up and went upstairs before reminding her for the hundredth time not to mess up with the spooks downstairs. Chiorin nodded half-heartedly and promptly went to sleep when Kanae had left.

Kanae noted with amusement that all the lights in the house had been switched on. She went to the playroom, disarranged the toys and took the teddy bear on the rocking chair. She tip-toed to the guest room and dropped the toy near the door. Then she went to switch off the main switch. Chiorin had told her where it was. When she was done, she hid in the bathroom next to the bedroom and kept the door closed.

She smiled to herself when she heard the banging. Switched off lights was the signal for Sebastian to shake the tree again. Any moment now, Kyoko would drag Ren out, notice the fallen toy, and with a bit of luck, the disarranged playroom. That would freak her out enough to go running to Ren Tsuruga again. Every little bit counted to bring them closer. Sure enough, she heard light footsteps going towards the playroom. Probably Kyoko. Then there was silence. Kanae frowned and tried to open the her frustration, the door was pressed her ears against the door. She could vaguely hear voices. It sounded like Ren was already in the playroom. _That's strange! When did he get there?,_ she wondered.

Then to her utter bewilderment, she heard another set of footsteps, followed by a commotion and loud voices. Kanae then heard the voices fading downstairs. She tried opening the door and finally it gave way. She walked slowly towards the stairs.

She could hear every word they were now saying. She smiled and put on the main switch.

….

Kyoko didn't know whether to laugh or be mad at her best friend. "I can't believe you managed to pull all that without me knowing.", she said shaking her head. " I'm such a scaredy cat!"

But something was nagging at the back of her mind. If Kanae hadn't done anything in the morning then how..

"I heard a voice in the morning.", Kyoko said. "What about that?"

"Nerves!", Kanae said dismissively. " You were spooked! So was Chiorin."

"But I've felt someone's presence too.", Ren broke in. "And that reminds me, did you pull that monster stunt in the playroom?"

Kanae looked at him blankly. "Monster? I only disarranged the toys a bit."

She shook Chiorin awake. "Wake up! What did you do in the playroom?"

Chiorin woke up rubbing her eyes with a frown. "Nothing. I was sleeping . Besides, you were in charge upstairs."

Kyoko got up nervously. "I think we'd better leave.", she said. "There's something not quite right about this place."

"Well of course, we should be going!", Kanae said. " But only because we've finished our job here!" She went and unlocked the door. Sebastian had parked the car a little nearer. One by one the occupants hurried out to the car.

"Hurry up Kanae!", Kyoko called out desperately.

Kanae snorted as she walked to the door. "Ghost! Wind! All a bunch of crap!" Suddenly, she heard an indignant snort in her ears. Then she felt something kick her painfully in the butt and send her flying to the car. She landed on the ground with a thud. Kyoko helped her up into the car. "You musn't bad mouth spirits Moko!", she told her.

Kanae stared at the house in surprise. The surroundings were perfectly clear, but the house alone was shrouded in mist. As she got into the car, the mist disappeared quickly and Kanae could have sworn, she saw a woman's face peering from one of the windows. She winked at Kanae and disappeared. As they drove away, Kyoko sighed in relief. "I'll have to tell the President his house is haunted.", she said. "I don't think he'll mind.", said Kanae. "I think it's a friendly spirit."

…

_**Well,that's it! Thank you for reading it so patiently. Please let me know what you think! BTW, Kanae was locked in the bathroom by the spirit!(just in case its not obvious)**_


End file.
